Over the first half of the 20th century, the Monterey Peninsula produced an exceptional number of outstanding athletes, a few of whom earned widespread recognition. They were the offspring of Sicilian fishermen, of contract laborers from Spain, and of Japanese abalone divers--and some were from families that had been here for generations and produced dynasties of sports figures. Behind it all lay two expanding and often conflicting peninsula industries: sardine fishing in Monterey and the recreational empire of Del Monte Properties.